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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles release almost five times more global warming pollution than official data show, as per a recent analysis.

Growing Gap Between Official and Actual CO2 Output

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy group. This contrasts sharply with laboratory tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in pollution.

Researchers studied data from in-vehicle energy use meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported figures are decreasing,” said a senior analyst participating in the study. “This gap is widening and creates a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Factors Driving the Emissions Gap

Analysts linked the majority of the gap to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of miles driven in electric mode relative to overall mileage. The team determined that only a quarter of travel was completed in EV mode, while lab estimates suggested 84%.

Even, when running in electric mode, pollution amounts were well above lab estimates. This happened because EV motors were not strong enough to operate alone, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for nearly a third of the distance covered in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Consequences

According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed several large automaker companies to escape over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs could spend approximately €500 more annually in operating costs than is assumed under laboratory tests.

“The strong statements that automakers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously far from the mark,” stated a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and saving costs. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Policy Debate and Industry Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid cars have recently been drawn again into political discussions as automakers have pressed the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A planned ban on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive sector and resistance from member states with significant car manufacturing.

Some senior officials have suggested plug-in hybrids as a possible “flexibility” option to introduce in the legislation.

One external energy economics expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the report a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the automotive industry claimed there was too little data to accurately evaluate real-world emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the gap between lab and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for petrol or conventional cars,” they stated. “All policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme care and in the light of this evidence.”